The Destroyer of Worlds
by eriskbo
Summary: A mission has consequences that will threaten to destroy Shepard and Tali. Based on BIOWARE's 'The Arrival' ME2 DLC and Tairis Deamhan's superb novelization of ME2 & ME3 called 'Razors Edge'.
1. Chapter 1: Illium Prelude

**Chapter 1: Illium Prelude**

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**_'Now I have become Death._**

**_The Destroyer of Worlds'_**

_**-Bhagavad Gita**  
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I was happy. The last week alone with Tali, gently nursing her back to health after the vicious battle on the Shadow Broker's vessel, was the closest thing to a vacation since the Galaxy had decided to appoint me its personal Savior three years ago and when the brutal insanity of my current life began. The small miracle of Liara finding Tali and I a hotel on Illium with a sterile suite of rooms for us to stay while she recovered from the near-fatal anaphylais caused by her suit rupture on the Brokers ship had given me a chance to experience her beauty for more than a few short hours at a time. In a space between never ending battles we were given the chance to spend precious days together unhurried by war and the rumor of war. For the first time since this all began, since the vision of the End of Days was forced into my mind on Eden Prime, I wanted nothing more than to walk away, from all the blood and the violence and the politics, to find some quiet remote corner of the Galaxy and spend whatever time was left looking into her shining laughing blue eyes. Sovereign, The Collectors, what right had the Galaxy to ask any more of me than I had already given? More than anything I wanted to believe the politicians on the Council and the Admirals in the Alliance that the Reapers were nothing more than the delusions of an old soldier brought back from the dead who had seen and done too much.

She healed quickly in the beautiful surroundings of our temporary Illium penthouse, the ugly new scars on her smooth grey skin from the Brokers tech-grenade, knitting and fading although they would always be there to remind me of the consequences of my stupid lapse of judgement in kissing Liara. Such was the diabolical skill of the Broker that he had even managed to convince Tali that I had betrayed her. He hadn't counted on her love for me though, still refusing to betray me and giving him her own shield codes rather than mine knowing it would result in her death. It was a deception I made sure he lived to regret, tearing out his throat with my bare hands as he begged for his life. Even now, I cant bring myself to feel the slightest remorse or guilt after seeing Talis crumpled and broken body, her visor smashed and her precious face exposed to what was for her a toxic atmosphere. At least I had been lucky enough to have been able to make it up to her, in generous seductively soft kisses and the five-finger strokes that gave my young three-fingered quarian so much pleasure and no little amusement. Nothing I have ever experienced compared to the happiness I felt just sitting next to her, her leaning against my shoulder, silver hair reflecting the golden light of the sun setting behind the crystal spires of Illium and whispering into her curiously alien ear that this was our unofficial 'Honeymoon' and then explaining to her enthusiastic delight just what a 'Honeymoon' was.

But after a week of enforced idleness that damn overwhelming sense of duty and obligation her late Admiral father Rael drilled into her began to eat into her happiness as it always did when she thought of herself in any way for too long and so we left our ostentatious clean room, me in my service shirt and pants and Tali in her sensual curvaceous prison of an exosuit and returned to the ship. A quick affectionate hug and my Chief Engineer ran off, leaving me in my Cabin with a stack of datapads that all seemingly needed my urgent attention. Sighing, I reluctantly picked up the first one - routine crew manifests from my XO Miranda - but I was almost immediately interrupted by the _Normandy's_ A.I.

"Excuse me Shepard but there is an urgent private message for you from Admiral Hackett" EDI murmured in her smooth monotone.

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_**A/N** This is pretty much where Tairis Deamhan left his superb Razors Edge: Dark Witness. In his next novelization Razors Edge: Requiem, the tragic events in the Bahak System, which will now be described, have already taken place with terrible consequences for Shepard and those he loves._

_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	2. Chapter 2: The Briefing Room

**Chapter 2: The Briefing Room**

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"Whats up, Boss?" asked Garrus sardonically casually leaning against Briefing Room table.

"Wait", I said curtly "I don't want to have to repeat this."

Garrus looked concerned for a moment; searching my face for clues, then shrugged his shoulders and went back to his good natured banter with Kasumi to Mordin's amused fascination. Despite the gravity of the situation, I smiled to myself. An ex-cop and an ex-thief becoming friends, and maybe more than friends if my reading of turian body language was accurate. No more crazy than a scarred up old marine and a lovely young quarian girl falling in love I guess.

A few minutes later Jack, Zaeed and Grunt sauntered in from the Mess, Grunt with a delighted childlike grin on his terrifying face, deep in animated conversation about some bloody and violent war story, closely followed by the preternaturally calm Samara and Thane, I no doubt, guilty of interrupting some deeply spiritual meditation exercise. The psychotic and the spiritual, I smirked to myself ruefully, what a crew but somehow it works.

My two ex-handlers Jacob and my Executive Officer Miranda hurried in next, seemingly embarrassed at being among the last to arrive. I willingly cut them some slack considering how rough a transition the last few weeks had been for them having both resigned from Cerberus after the Collector Mission leaving their status aboard the Normandy somewhat dubious. At least in their eyes since I had come to rely both on Jacobs courage and determination and Miranda's cool analytical tactical skill although I still had some nagging doubts about any possible hold the the Illusive Man might have on them. How hope that was just marine paranoia because I would be relying on them even more now.

Lastly, the delightfully odd couple of my quarian girlfriend and her peoples arch-nemesis the geth known as Legion, rolled in covered in oil.

"Shepard!" Tali said gaily wiping her fingers on a rag "sorry we're late, we had just started stripping down one of the power converters. Besides, it's only been an hour since we got back and I didn't think you would miss me…" She studied my face more closely "Kehlah! What's happened, John?" she asked anxiously, instinctively moving forward and placing her hand on mine.

I smiled faintly at her and said quietly "I always miss you when you are not around" then turning to the rest of the ground team "So, ladies, gentlemen, and platform, there is no easy way to say this… I've just finished speaking with Admiral Hackett… The Reapers will be here in a matter of days."

Reactions were predictable. Grunts eyes lit up with predatory delight. The old warriors Samara, Thane, and Zaeed remained calm and stoical, whether it was through their personal philosophies or simply a bone-weary cynicism born of seeing too much death it was hard for me to say. Legion was lucky enough to lack an emotional response and Mordin, ever the scientist, seemed as rational and indefatigable as ever. As far as the rest of my friends and crew, the shock and horror on the faces was enough to almost move me to tears. All except Tali whose expression was thankfully hidden by her helmet. She tightened her grip on my hand and whispered in a grief-stricken plaintive voice "I wanted more time". "I know" I whispered back sadly "me too".

Garrus was the first to recover his wits "How do they know Boss?" he said simply.

I sighed rubbing the back of my neck "An undercover Alliance scientist operating in Batarian space discovered some kind of artifact, a Reaper artifact. She is being held by the Batarians and Admiral Hackett asked me to break her out of prison because she is a personal friend. The Alliance can't risk getting involved with the Batarians itching to go to war, not that they believe in the Reapers anyway but if we break her out it can be written off as just another unprovoked Cerberus terrorist attack on an alien species."

"But a Reaper Artifact, Boss!" said Garrus agitated mandibles flapping. "We saw what happened to the scientists on the derelict Reaper. Remember, we were only on board that thing for a couple of hours and we were still affected by it."

I shrugged "I agree Garrus. From what we know about Reapers there must be a very good chance that she is indoctrinated but even so we still have to break her out to find out what she knows."

"Plausible deniability " said Jacob grimly "I suppose if it avoids war with the Batarians. The Illusive man is big and tough enough to take it. besides he deserves it"

"Trust the Alliance to try to pass the buck on a dirty black ops mission gone sour, always have to look like the good guys. Well it is certainly the kind of pro human operation Cerebus would consider doing with although whether the Batarians will believe that the great Commander Shepard would join such an evil organization, that you are actually part of us... I mean them i'm not so sure. So if this is to be a Cerberus operation, you are going to need a purely human ground team to make it look credible" Miranda said calculatingly.

"Right" I said "and small, just you and Jacob, both known high-level Cerberus operatives plus Kasumi for her hacking and lock-picking skills."

"John, I want to come too" said Tali earnestly, "you know I can hack my way past anything better even than Kasumi"

I sighed "I know you want to come too Tali and nothing would give me greater pleasure to have my favorite quarian covering my back but Kasumi is human so more plausible as a Cereberus agent. besides I dont want to give the Batarians any reason to go after the Migrant Fleet. Garrus, you will be in command of the _Normandy_. We arrive in the Bahak System in three hours. Dismissed."

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	3. Chapter 3: Aratoht

**Chapter 3: Aratoht**

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The _Normandy_ hung stealthy over the north pole of the Batarian planet Aratoht like a colossal bird of prey invisibly observing its only settlement Aratoht City. Aratoht barely classed as a garden world at all, "Like Mount Everest inside an oven," as the great John Grissom succinctly put it. It was only the cooling effect of the never-ending rain at the planets poles that made it habitable at all for the tens of thousands of Batarians who settled this god-forsaken world never mind hundreds of thousands of slaves taken in pirate raids throughout the Skyllian Verge and worked to death in the colonies vast network of mines.

After Terra Nova where my old crew stopped terrorists attempted to smash an asteroid into the colony killing millions, I didn't need any more reason to hate Batarians but monitoring broadcasts from Aratoht gave me plenty. The humiliation of humans seemed to be the main focus of the broadcast entertainment. I watched live vivisection's, naked children exhibited and raced like pets and gleeful executions. The main news channels focus was however the public interrogation and torture of a human terrorist, one Dr Amanda Kenson the very person Admiral Hackett had tasked us with recovering. Her interrogators didn't seem to know whether to vent their fury on her as a spy or simply mock her as a crazy woman. Clearly the Batarians no more believed in the Reapers than anyone else. She was being held in the dreaded Jath'Amon Detention Facility to the north-west of Aratoht City and from the look of her, it didn't look like she could last much longer.

"John, this is horrible" Tali said looking up from the viewscreen in my cabin as the footage of Kenyon being electrocuted faded to an advertisement which featured a pretty 9 year old girl in a cage being poked with a stick by a gleeful Batarian child with his parents at what seemed to be a zoo. "I know" I murmured grimly."and there's hundreds of thousands of them, just no way we can rescue them". Then an idea flashed into my mind from history. "Tali" I said giving my quarian an evil smirk "knowing what a genius you are with technology I bet you could come up with a way to generate a massive electromagnetic pulse that would knock out most of the colonies systems, at least for a while". Tali turned to him with quizzical eyes "Sure I could do that but why?". I smirked again "A little thing called a Slave Revolt! Spartacus against Ancient Rome. Over two hundred thousand slaves versus ninety thousand Batarians in the dark with no security systems, weapons or shields". Talis eyes widened, "It would be a bloodbath, I'm not sure..."

The news program started up again with a Batarian guard slapping Kenyon back into consciousness having clearly passed out. "John, this is crazy" Tali said "They are saying that she tried to destroy the Bahak Mass Relay by slamming an asteroid into it! I mean they are supposed to be indestructible for one thing and the energy released would be unimaginable."

I felt a little panic in the pit of my stomach "God Tali, I hope it doesn't come to that, I have no idea how many on Aratoht would survive the blast. It does have a kind of horrible logic about it though. Bahak is after all right out on the galactic rim, not that far from darkspace. If Kenyon believed that the Reaper fleet is about to arrive here, they could use that relay to quickly invade the rest of the Galaxy. If somehow it could be destroyed, it would take months maybe years under FLT to reach the next rely which would at least buy us some more time". 'Could I really be that ruthless?' I asked myself quietly.

Tali slid next to me on the couch and laid her helmeted head on my chest "More time?" she murmured with a mixture of hope and sadness "I would like that". I stroked her arm "I would too, Tali, not just because I would get to spend it with you but because I haven't yet given up hope. If we can find a way for all of the races to stand united against them we may still prevail. Besides I still have that house to build you on Rannoch." Her shoulders shook slightly and I knew that she was crying silent tears but I said nothing just held her. After all what was left to say.

Eventually, I let her go "Time to get suited up, Tali" I said "I don't want to be late, it might trigger some thresher maw like attack instinct in Miranda". Thankfully, she giggled and she lifted her shining eyes up to mine "that would be fun to see". I stood up and started to move towards the armour locker but she said quietly "please, let me help you with that". She stood and went over to the armour locker. "Cerberus Assault Armour" she said with disgust "John you said you would never wear it even if you were down to your last pair of boxer shorts". I chuckled "I believe I did something to do with the Illusive Man's egomaniacal desire to plaster his damn logo on everything in sight but in this case that works to our advantage. Besides it is good armour".

She picked up a chest-piece, nimble fingers fastening it to me. Then she knelt and fastened my boots and leg armour to my shins and thighs. "What next?" she said demurely silvery eyes looking up at me. The shoulder armour was followed by armoured plates that protected my upper arms. Lastly she fastened the gauntlets one hand then another. Each piece was fastened carefully and deliberately, as I guided Tali's movements. Sometimes a faint touch followed the piece of armour being fastened, turning the entire process into a ritual as she once did for me on Tuchanka.

"Come back to me" Tali said giving me one last embrace. "Out of Hell itself if need be" I replied "Just you work on that special project while I'm gone and we'll give these bastards a surprise." Clad in the boxy white and yellow armour of a hated infamous human-supremist terrorist organization I kissed the top of my alien girlfriend's purple helmet one last time before heading to the elevator to join Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi in the docking bay to take the shuttle down the the planets surface.

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	4. Chapter 4: Jeth'Amon

**Chapter 4: Jath'Amon**

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It was now night on the planet's surface with dreadful visibility due to torrential rain. Despite this, Cortez had landed the Kodiak quietly in a forest clearing some 5 clicks north of the prison to avoid detection. I had insisted that Miranda and Jacob wear full Cerberus Assault Armour with helmets for this mission which meant that only Kasumi was getting wet this time a fact she was happy to remind me of at every opportunity.

I was the designated sniper for this mission being the thing I had actually trained to be during my time in N7. Finding cover and some respite from the rain I had removed my helmet and was spotting targets through the precise optics of the massive 'Widow' rifle that Garrus and Jacob had put together for me weeks ago.

"Boy I love this rifle" I murmured quietly observing the prison in its sights using the far infrared spectrum. Jath'Amon consisted of a sprawling mass of prefab units on a steep hill but clearly the bulk of the building was built into the hillside, possibly an old mine. Near the base of the hill was a series of ventilation fans and a small door which looked like it was rarely used. That's our way in, I thought.

"I'm so very pleased for you Shep! Perhaps you two could get a room and one for me too while you are at it" the bedraggled ex-thief complained bitterly, making a futile attempt to squeeze water out of her hood despite the restrictions of her rebreather mask.

"What and miss this wonderful warm shower?" I said wittily "It must be 20 Celsius at least. You always complain that I have the only nice shower on the ship so make the most of it"

"What? You want me to strip down naked for you right here Shep? All right but I'm not sure Tali is going to like it but I'm sure you can explain it all to her when we get back home" Kasumi said innocently.

I glared at her silently. Jacob chuckled appearing suddenly from the undergrowth "Never match wits with Kasumi, Commander, she always eats Garrus for breakfast and I doubt you could do any better.. er Sir."

Jacob and Miranda had just returned from a quick reconnoitre of the immediate area. With their combination of combat skills and biotics those two were devastating at close range.

Miranda crossed her arms impatiently "Jacob and I have scouted to within a thousand meters of the target and not hit any patrols or defenses. We've found an ideal spot in cover for you to use that big gun of yours so if you are ready Commander, we should move out" she said with more than her usual tartness.

"So getting soaked again... great just great" Kasumi grumbled

With the guards outside Jath'Amon dealt with by the 'Widow's brutal efficiency, we quickly clambered up to the base of the hill where ventilation system was located and cautiously approached the door. Of course it was locked and clearly way beyond my skill to open.

"OK Kasumi" I said curtly "You're up"

I was answered by a miserable sneeze and a mumbled "Sure, sure, give me a minute".

Kasumi approached the lock and briefly examined it.

"Childs play!" she said a little more cheerfully deactivating the lock "hardly worth getting soaked for".

I smiled at her from behind my darkened visor "I couldn't do this without you Kasumi" I said "I owe you a drink or several".

"Oh Shep, you do say the nicest things, no wonder Tali swoons all over you" she replied with a twinkle behind her rebreather mask.

"Err.. thanks" I said somewhat awkwardly "OK, there's unlikely to be much space were we are going so, that means me and Jason will take point in front with our Eviscerator shotguns and you and Miranda and Kasumi at the rear with your Tempest sub-machine guns, use incendiary ammo but shoot only if you have to, this is an infiltration. I want to just get in, extract Kenyon and get out as neatly as possible. Understood?" To a chorus of "Yes Shepard's" Jason and I entered the lower levels of Jath'Amon.

"Phew who died" said Kasumi as we walked along a rundown corridor "This must be where they send their prisoners to die". Almost immediately we were attacked by a pack of feeding verren. Jacob and I opened up with our Eviscerator's which incinerated two of the savage beasts with Miranda catching a third with her biotics and slamming it into the ground to the sickening sound of bones cracking. Kasumi finished off the last two with a long burst from her Tempest. She stood over the corpse of one of them looking down "Its not so easy to kill these things since we have one as a pet" she said sadly. I patted her shoulder "That's definitely not Urz" I said "Come on, hopefully no one heard us"

We made our way randomly through a long series of ruined and decaying corridors until Miranda spotted a staircase leading to a level in obviously better repair. Unfortunately this level was also full of invisible security barriers which Kasumi luckily easily managed to detect and deactivate before the rest of us set them off. In this corridor was the sound of gruff voices, a lot of them.

"Damn" I whispered "I think we walked straight into a barracks. Kasumi, scout out ahead and don't get caught"

She gave me a peevish expression, activated her tactical cloak and vanished. She reappeared in a matter of minutes. "It's a guard house alright" she whispered grimly "but we should be able to sneak past it without too much trouble. Most of them seem to be busy watching our girls interrogation on a giant video screen and debating about who gets to do her first".

I rubbed the back of my neck "OK Kasumi, lead on, we'll follow you" . Silently she led us carefully skirting around the outside of the crowded barracks and, not for the first time since she joined my ship, marveled at the skill and cunning that lay beneath her witty and causal exterior. She led us down a side passage and up another flight of stairs to a much larger cell block level with the faint but instantly recognisable sounds of a women screaming coming from the far end. "Shep that sounds like our girl!", Kasumi whispered urgently.

I nodded grimly "Her interrogation is being broadcast live so they are going to know as soon as we break her out."

"Maybe not" said Kasumi, I might be able to tap into their systems and get it to broadcast a continuous loop of old footage. It won't fool them for long but it might buy us the time we need to get her out of here.

We walked through the cell block and towards the screaming and found ourselves in an interrogation area. In one of the cells two guards in room full of terminals and monitoring equipment watched through a one way mirror a third guard applying electrical shocks to a woman in her mid-thirties restrained vertically in some kind of interrogation device. I looked at Jacob and drew a finger across my throat while pulling out my combat knife. He understood instantly, nodded pulled out his. Moving silently we were upon them before they could make a sound and they slumped simultaneously in a bloody heap.

Wiping my blade carefully I turned to the horrified ex-thief "Horrible I know" I said quietly "Now I need you to hack their systems and create that video loop if you can, otherwise we are just going to fight our way out. "

"Sure, Shep" she said, regaining her wits. She sat down and quickly accessed the guards terminal with her omnitool. "Ah!" she said smiling "Done, their systems are easier to break into than a kindergartens toy room. It won't last long though, a few minutes at best".

"Better than nothing" I said, "Now let's get Kenson and get the hell out of here"

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	5. Chapter 5: Kenson

**Chapter 5: Kenson**

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"I'll ask you again… where is your base?" the black armoured guard asked in a bored voice.

"You are wasting time, the Reapers are coming!" Kenson replied fervently struggling vainly against her restraints.

"The Reapers are coming here... to this relay? He said voice heavy with mocking condescension.

"Every moment you keep me here you bring them closer!" she screeched.

"So I should just let you go, destroy the relay... destroy this system?" he said angrily.

"Do what you want to me Batarian, torturing me won't save you" Kenson replied contemptuously.

"No but it will amuse me" he chuckled.

Leaving Kasumi and Miranda to work on the terminal in the observation room, Jacob and I left to find the door of the interrogation cell. I positioned myself on one side of it and motioned for Jacob to do the same. I silently used my fingers to count down 3 – 2 – 1. We burst into the room and with the ruthless precision of trained killers dropped the guard before he could make a sound.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" she asked nervously

"Dr Kenson, I'm Commander Shepard, I'm here to get you out" I replied deactivating the interrogation machine and removing her restraints.

"Commander Shepard! I heard you were alive. Hackett must have got my message" Kenson replied elatedly "But the armour…?"

"I'm… working with Cerberus at this moment in time. This is Operative Talyor"

"Good to see you are ok ma'am" said Jacob smiling reassuringly

"But why would Cerberus…?"

"Let's just say we have common goals in protecting the human race" Jacob said.

"We are looking at a major diplomatic incident if the Batarians find out I was involved Kenson, this evidence better be worth it."

"It is Commander. The Reapers are coming. Diplomacy is the least of our worries." she said with an evangelical gleam in her eye.

"We need to get out of here, think you can handle a heavy pistol Kenson?"

"I may be a scientist but I can look after myself Commander" she said confidently grabbing my Carnifax. As we turned to go she called for us to wait. Kenson walked slowly over to the dead Batarian guard and repeatedly stamped on his face. "Now we can go" she said happily, brushing past us.

Rejoining the rest of my team I discovered that Kasumi had been busy. She had managed to somehow hack her way into and deactivate the colony's orbital tracking system and find an escape route to the prisons shuttle bay. We hurried down corridor after corridor meeting no resistance until suddenly the prison came alive with the sound of screaming alarms.

"Damn, I guess Kasumi's little trick has been discovered. Move it people, we're going to have to fight our way out" I shouted.

Thankfully we were almost at the shuttle bay but entering it we ran into a hail of fire from at least a dozen guards in heavy armour protecting the shuttles and were forced to find cover.

"Commander, they are trying to flank us!" Jacob yelled

"You and Miranda counter that flanking movement but stay under cover, Kasumi, do you think you can make it to the shuttle cloaked?"

"If you need me to I will Shep" she said confidently

"Good girl" I smirked "Get in and fire up the engines, maximum thrust"

"In here...? Oh, I see..!" she said "crude but effective"

"Thats me... get to it!" I ordered "I'll cover you"

Kasumi vanished and Kenson and I popped our heads out from behind cover and began wildly spraying the shuttle bay with fire.

"Commander!" said Miranda over the suit radio "we can't keep this up much longer, there's just too many of them!"

"Fall back to our position!" I ordered

"Roger that Commander!"

The two operatives ran back to us taking fire, their shields shattering. "Never thought I'll be grateful for this ugly thing" Miranda said gesturing to her scarred and pitted Cerberus Assault Armour.

"It won't do us much good once they manage to flank us!" Jacob yelled

Just at that moment, the engines of one of the shuttles roared into life. Most of the guards were incinerated instantly and those that weren't ran out of cover straight into our kill zone and were promptly gunned down. The relief we felt didn't last long more than a few seconds hearing the sound of many more guards on the way.

"Move it people!" I ordered "Get to the damn shuttle, double time it!"

As we ran, the shuttle doors opened and Kasumi motioned for us to get in "Time to leave now I think" she grinned.

Closing the doors, the shuttle roared into life again incinerating many of the newly arrived guards in its wake. In seconds Kasumi had us airborne racing undetected away from the prison back home to the _Normandy_.

Exhausted, we hardly exchanged a word as the shuttle achieved escape velocity and left the atmosphere of Aratoht except when Kenon collapsed into a dead faint probably, the delayed shock and exhaustion of her interrogation finally catching up with her. After Miranda determined that she was in no danger we lifted her body and laid her out on one of the seats as comfortably as possible.

"Dr Chakwas should probably take a look at her when we get back" Miranda said tiredly removing her helmet.

I nodded *And Mordin too"

"Do you really think she might be indoctrinated Shepard?" asked Jacob.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know Jacob" I admitted "She's not acting like the indoctrinated Salarians my old team encountered at Saren's base on Virmire or the scientists on the derelict Reaper we boarded but we can't be too careful with anything to do with the Reapers."

"Roger that, Commander" he said slumping back in his chair.

Kasumi put her hand on my arm and said quietly in a concerned voice "Shep, about what she said, about the Relay… You not thinking of actually blowing it up are you? All those people... Sure some of them are not very nice but still…"

I looked at her and smiled gently "I don't know, I hope not, if I can find another way, any way I will take it but…"

"Sometimes tough decisions have to be taken, sometimes hard choices have to be made" finished Miranda with a touch of steel in her voice.

I sighed in despair "You said it Miranda"

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	6. Chapter 6: Sparticus

**Chapter 6: Sparticus**

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We stumbled back exhausted onto the _Normandy_ in the middle of 3rd shift with only a skeleton crew to greet us. Chakwas and Mordin met us with a medivac team and took the still unconscious Kenson to the Medical Centre under armed escort. Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi headed to their respective quarters to get a few hours well-earned sleep but I, acting on a hunch headed straight down to Engineering. True enough my Chief Engineer was still at her station, alone, absorbed in a mass of displays and readouts.

I walked up behind her as stealthily as possible in my heavy armour chuckling quietly to myself as I saw her slightly stiffen. I gently circled my arms around her waist and she leaned back against my chest.

"I can never catch you" I said drawing her into a tight embrace.

Tali pulling back from me a little and turned round placing her three-fingered hands on my shoulders and looked at me with soft shining eyes.

"Wrong, you can always catch me John" she said demurely "because I always want to be caught by you"

I gave a long happy sigh of contentment as I held the young quarian in my arms. "Tough mission?" she said gently "did you manage to free Dr Kenson?"

I nodded tiredly "Yes we got her and everyone got out without any injuries thank to Kasumi. Kenson is in the Medical Centre right now with Chakwas and Mordin under observation. Did you make any progress on that special project I gave you?"

"Please John I'm a quarian, remember?" she joked "It wasn't a difficult problem really; it was just a question of power. We can generate a big enough energy pulse that will knock out all of the colonies security, defense systems shields and weapons for at least an hour. The only catch is that the damage it will do to our systems. The _Normandy's_ mass effect core will be off line for several hours, perhaps a full day."

"Good enough" I nodded "great work Tali" I said.

She pulled away from me "But John, you can't really mean to go ahead with it, can you..? Thousands, tens of thousands, would die fighting in the streets armed with nothing but knives and hammers. It would be a bloodbath… a massacre. The children… the old people...what of them?. And I read about your Sparticus... in the end he lost and all the thousands of slaves that followed him were slaughtered not to mention the horrible things he and his men did…"

I sighed "All this is true Tali, but if I do nothing, if we simply leave, I am condemning over two hundred thousand slaves, many of them human to a short nasty and brutal existence under the Batarians. At least this way they get a chance to fight for their freedom. I have to believe that is the better of two evils."

Tali turned away agitated "John… you can't make me into such a monster… I can't do it... I won't be responsible for all that death… I can't!

I rubbed the back of my neck and bowed my head "The responsibility is mine Tali, I will be the one pressing the button, I will be the monster if that's what it takes to save people and you will do it because it is an order" I said more harshly than I intended "I am your Captain, your _hesh'lan,_ remember?".

She looked as shocked as if I had physically slapped her then finally her shoulders slumped in resignation "Yes Captain" she said "it will be ready by the start of first watch, turning back to her workstation.

I wanted to apologise but I couldn't think of anything more to say so I turned on my heel and went back to my cabin alone.

I woke in an empty bed screaming into the night with the images of thousands of knives and thousands of hammers cutting flesh and smashing bone, of drowning in a mile deep sea of dark sticky blood, of piles of corpses of the old and the young hundreds of feet high burning and all through it Tali's modulated voice crying "monster, monster, monster" accusingly over and again.

EDI's blue hologram appeared "Shepard I detected evidence of vocal distress in your cabin, are you alright?" it said in its soothing monotone.

"Yea… I'm ok EDI or will be" I said rubbing my eyes awake "just a nightmare"

"I have been continuously monitoring broadcasts from Aratoht City and I believe you will wish to see this"

"Go ahead EDI" I said, my head thumping.

The viewscreen glowed into life to reveal a furious Batarian in uniform. "I address this ultimatum to the Captain of the Cerberus vessel in orbit above Aratoht." he began. For the acts of terrorism that were carried out by your crew last night the Hegemony demands the immediate surrender of yourself and your vessel. Your crew will be released unharmed after proper questioning. The consequences of your failure to comply will be your sole responsibility". The image on the viewscreen changed to one of large group of dishevelled humans mostly women and children, huddling together in fear, children crying, mothers trying to comfort them. "God damn it no!" I murmured to myself knowing what had to come next. From out of the frame of the picture I heard the sound of heavy weapons fire. For an instant there was a chorus of screaming and then nothing. As soon as the smoke cleared, the camera zoomed in to reveal burned and shattered lumps of smoking flesh. After lingering on the horrors for a moment, the furious Batarian was back "Cerberus, you claim to stand to protect humans but this is what you have caused by your terrorist outrages on the peace loving Batarian people. Every hour, on the hour 1000 slaves will be executed on this very spot until your Captain surrenders himself and your vessel. Message ends"

"EDI" I said, my voice cracking with emotion "Is it possible that the Batarians can detect the Normandy?"

"It is most unlikely Shepard. Only the Collectors ever possessed the technology to do so. Further if they could detect the ship in orbit there is a high likelihood that they would attack us directly without the use of propaganda and blackmail. Most likely they are as you say 'bluffing'"

I leaped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. "EDI, I need for you to hack into their broadcast system and then stand by. I need to deliver a message of my own and I need it to be heard by everyone in the colony"

"Yes Shepard" EDI said, its blue hologram disappearing.

Marching into the CIC in full Cerberus Assault Armour I ascended the plinth to the Galaxy Map. I activated the ships intercom "Tali" I said commandingly "Is the Project ready?"

"Yes Captain" she said quiet sad voice "I have created a 'button' on the Galaxy Map next to its representation of Aratoht. Click on it once and it will activate"

"EDI, have you tied me into Aratoht's broadcast system?"

"Yes Shepard it is available now"

"EDI begin broadcast now" I said.

"Slaves of Aratoht" I began "Thousands of years ago on the planet Earth there was a slave called Spartacus who raised a vast army of slaves against the greatest empire of the time to fight for his and their freedom. I offer you the same chance now to rise up against the cruelty of your Batarian masters. In a moment all the defence and security systems which allow your oppression will be disabled. Without technology, victory goes to those with the most numbers and you outnumber the Batarians more than two to one. The fight will be bloody and savage and many of you will lose your lives but I know that you will prevail. Good luck. Message Ends"

I pressed the button and instantly the colony below me went dark.

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	7. Chapter 7: The Project

**Chapter 7: The Project**

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I slumped forward suddenly exhausted. For better or worse, it was done. Hundreds of miles below me in the dark a brutal war being fought out by tens of thousands using nothing more than rocks and clubs. A war that I had started. I could only hope I had done the right thing.

I could afford to be side tracked no longer; the Reapers could be here at any moment. I turned and entered the elevator and punched the button for level three. There were answers only Kenson could give me and I meant to have them now.

Exiting the lift on the crew deck I ran into Garrus looking agitated. "Shepard, what the Hell? Half the ships systems are offline and when I went down to Engineering to find out what happened I found Tali crying her heart out?"

I felt as if someone had shot me in the chest "Garrus, I don't have time to go into it right now" I said gritting my teeth "Coordinate with Miranda and Tali to get the ship fixed asap. Use whoever, whatever you need, top priority ". I pushed past him striding towards the Medical Centre.

Entering at speed, I saw Chakwas and Mordin bent over the unconscious form of Dr Amanda Kenson. They turned to look in surprise, clearly not expecting someone in full combat armour. I removed my helmet.

"Report" I said curtly.

"No change since you brought her in last night Commander" Dr Chakwas said stiffly "she's still unconscious as you can see but otherwise unharmed"

"I need her conscious now Doctor"

"That might be dangerous…" began Mordin

"That's was an order Doctor" I said coldly "do whatever you need to do, take whatever risk. I have questions only she can answer".

Silently Chawas went over to the Medical terminal and activating it administered a cocktail of neurostimulants. A few moments later Kenson's eyelids fluttered open.

"Commander…" She said in confusion.

"Chawas, Mordin, I need some time alone with Kenson" I said motioning for them to leave "Now, I need to know everything you know about this Reaper Invasion and how to stop it"

"Stop it Commander?" she paused for a moment, her eyes gleamed strangely "There was only ever one way to stop it and that's by destroying the Alpha Relay and all that will do is to delay their arrival for a few months, a year at best. Their coming is inevitable"

"The Alpha Relay?... You mean the mass relay in Bahak system?"

"Yes" she said sitting on the edge of the bed "My research proved that the Bahak relay is the oldest in the network – hence 'Alpha Relay' - and has the potential to link with any of the other sixteen relays throughout the galaxy"

A chill went through me "they could take the whole galaxy in one fell swoop"

"Precisely Commander, hence the need to destroy It." she replied with a touch of condescension.

"And how precisely did you plan to destroy an indestructible object?"

She laughed coldly "Yes I know that's the rumour but just because everyone says something is impossible doesn't make it so. Your career proves that. My team managed to construct a base on an asteroid in this system right under the noses of the Batarians smuggling parts and equipment from Omega. I was on a supply run with some of my team which is how I got caught. The asteroid is now fitted with a massive mass effect core and thrusters and the plan – which we called simply 'The Project' – was to slam it into the Alpha Relay at high speed. I doubt even a relay could withstand that."

"And Aratoht Kenson?... what happens to the three hundred thousand people down there on that colony if you destroy the relay?"

"They would all die Commander" she said casually "relays are the most powerful mass-effect engines in the galaxy and the energy released from destroying one would probably resemble a supernova. I am surprised to have to remind a soldier of the ruthless calculus of war…"

I slammed my armoured fist into the bed "I don't need to be lectured by you on the need to make sacrifices for the greater good Kenson, what I do need to know is how you know all this because I'm going to have to have some fucking convincing proof before I allow this to happen"

She smiled at me calmly, her eyes with a messianic gleam "I was granted a vision Commander just as you were on Eden Prime but this wasn't a Prothean beacon, it was an artefact – we call it Object Rho - left behind by the Reapers during the last cycle. It was a vision of their invincible fleet pouring through the relay. It even gave us the time of their arrival, in a little over two days in fact."

"Two days!" I gasped "You are telling me the Reapers could be at Earth in two days!"

Kenyon laughed "Don't concern yourself commander, The Project is complete. My team knows what it needs to do. All you need to do is to get me back to Arcturus Station so I can debrief Admiral Hackett in person."

I shook my head "What I need to do Kenson is to see your damn proof for myself if I'm going to allow this to happen for one thing you have been exposed to Reaper technology. You could be compromised, indoctrinated. You may have even sabotaged the project and not even be aware of it"

"I am not a child Commander!" she said angrily "we took all necessary precautions. The proof you are talking about exists but it is back at the base. I cannot take you there. I cannot allow you interfere with our plans "

I looked at her carefully "Why would you think I would want to stop it... what on earth would I have to gain from that?"

"I can't take the risk, I have no idea what you might do, what you are capable of!" she shouted "You are no longer with the Alliance, hell you work with Cerberus! Who knows what your real agenda is!"

"Kenson, I am going to see that proof whether you like it or not… where is your base?"

She laughed that same icy laugh "If the Batarians couldn't force me to divulge it after two days of torture there is little chance of the Hero of the Citadel being able to"

"Kenson" I said quietly "one of my crew is an asari matriarch. You have no doubt heard of the asaris ability to meld minds. If necessary I will order her to take the information from you by force"

Her eyes widened "You cannot... You wouldn't…!, I am an Alliance operative, a personal friend of Admiral Hackett…"

I smiled at her coldly "and I am a Spectre"

Her face slumped in resignation "OK you win Spectre, I'll take you to my base, and I'll to show you all the proof you need but just you, alone"

I paused considering my tenuous Spectre status "OK Kenson you have a deal, we leave immediately"

She smiled back at me "Certainly Spectre, lead the way"

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	8. Chapter 8: Object Rho

**Chapter 8: Object Rho**

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With a heavy heart I brought the Kodiak in for landing on the asteroid 157-Golgotha the home of 'The Project'. Before we left the Normandy I had visited Engineering but Tali was nowhere to be seen, probably avoiding me and I couldn't really blame her. Still I had huge doubts about this entire mission, doubts I could only share with her. I had forgotten just how much I had come to depend on her sympathetic patient listening to my uncertainties and reservations, things that the Commander of the Normandy and Savoir of the Galaxy just wasn't allowed to have and certainly not express to his crew.

The asteroid was huge, easily as big as the one the Batarians tried to smash into Terra Nova with an even more extensive network of facilities. I marveled how Kenson and her team had managed to smuggle this much material past the noses of the Batarians and assemble it without being noticed. The irony did not escape me, back then my mission was to stop Batarians committing an appalling war crime by destroying an innocent human colony with an asteroid and I was praised as a hero. Now I was prepared to do the exact same to a Batarian colony; am i not the war criminal, the terrorist now? Well, not if could help it… not if I could find another way.

Kenson sat beside me in the co-pilots chair looking remarkably relaxed and confident even smug considering the conversation we had earlier. She had radioed ahead to tell her people that we were coming to review the evidence and to "tidy up the lab" for us. Seeming innocent enough things to say yet why it did it make the hairs on the back of my neck rise up? I have come to trust my instincts, relay on them in a way that only another soldier who constantly faced death would understand and right now my instincts said I was heading for a trap. "Now remember the first step in avoiding a trap, is knowing of its existence" I thought rolling the ancient maxim around my mind while keeping a tight hold on my rifle.

We landed and Kenson lead me swiftly into 'Project Base'. We passed through a maze of corridors; clearly the facility was even more extensive than it seemed on approach. Everything seemed calm and well run with staff going about their various duties and responsibilities on an orderly fashion paying little attention to us. I relaxed a little but just a little. We finally reached the main lab and Kenson smiled "Commander" she said with a hint of the theatrical "I give you 'Object Rho'"

The door of the lab swished open to reveal a huge structure dominating the room resembling a gigantic open flower the size of a shuttle surrounded by flickering blue energy. I entered, drawn to its its graceful sinuous beauty. An alarm somewhere in the back of my mind recalled the Black Narcissus flower although the objects colour actually seemed to alternate between deep blues and blacks and purples. Narcissus I thought clumsily, what was it about Narcissus? The myth of a man lured by Nemesis to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it and being unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, died.

I shook my head and came to my senses "You have it out in the open!?" I said thickly "Kenson this is not good"

She chuckled ominously "Relax Commander, it will give you all the proof you need"

Suddenly something black and oily was inside my mind its writhing tentacles burrowing fast and deep. It made my mind see images like the Prothean Beacons did, forced them into my skull violating my consciousness but in a far more brutal and insidious way. The Thing made me see the entire Reaper fleet in all is callous glorious invincibility hanging in space like a malevolent horde of insects and made me hear their dark oily whispers as they conspired against us. I saw their lead ships hit the relay and vanish and then the heard the sounds of whole worlds screaming, the smell of entire races burning in my nostrils as they hung in the sky their dark gigantic tentacles grasping and crushing all life.

And then the Thing showed was on the surface of one of those burned black worlds piled high with corpses and swarming with horribly twisted and mutated creatures, people the Reapers had melded into willing slaves to their bidding. Against the horde I stood with my crew, Tali and Garrus by my side as they had from the start. I pulled out my heavy pistol from its holster and pointed toward the Reaper-spawn but then the black oily whispers spoke to me again in their indecipherable tongue. I turned and pointed the gun straight at Garrus's head.

"DO NOT RESIST, GIVE YOURSELF OVER AND BE SPARED" a familiar voice as deep as the earth itself boomed.

"Boss what the hell..?" he began before I cut him short with a round through his skull his head exploding into a pulpy mass.

"Shepard!" Tali cried "Why!?... We're your friends!" I turned towards her and pointed the gun point blank against her visor and paused. She was crying now, sobbing as if her heart would break.

"STRUGGLE IF YOU WISH SHEPARD... YOUR MIND WILL BE MINE"

Harbingers voice exploded inside my head, my pistol shaking, clattering against the plastic visor while Tali remained rooted to the spot. A sudden beautiful calm overtook me and I shot once cleanly punching a hole through her purple visor, the quarian falling back in a bloody broken heap. I laughed with cruel delight and put bullets into Mordin and Kasumi as they begged on their knees for mercy. The rest of the the crew followed until there was nothing left but a mound of corpses covered in dark sticky blood. Then I saw my hand and I understood. I was a husk.

Screaming I broke free of the vision only to collapse on the floor of the lab. Kenson bent over me with glowing eyes and said in the same voice deeper that the earth itself:

""TAKE HIM TO MED BAY. WE WANT SHEPARD ALIVE."

And then, everything went black.

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	9. Chapter 9: The Ruthless Calculus of War

**Chapter 9: The Ruthless Calculus of War**

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Slowly, shuddering I became aware of my surroundings as I struggled out of a dreamless drugged sleep. I was laying on an examination table in a med bay, naked, an IV in my arm. A women, unarmed probably a scientist, stood with her back to me at a medical workstation but my first priority was the two guards armed with M-96 Mattock's. I had no weapons but I did still have my expensive Cerberus cybernetic implants. Silently, I sat up unnoticed and ripped out the IV. Before the scientist could react I was behind one of the guards and with a single twist cleanly napped his neck. I pushed his lifeless body into the second guard knocking him to the ground and grabbing a Mattock, emptied three shots into his head at point black range.

The woman turned and screamed into her omnitool "Shepard! Hes awake! I don't understand why the sedatives aren't working. Get Security!" She ran out of the room an activated a barrier field locking me in. She stood observing me though an observation window taunting me with a smug expression, her fear gone. Quickly scanning the room for options I noticed her workstation had a panel for controlling medical mech's which were stored in the room she was now in. I activated a mech and cornered the woman with it, metal hands round her throat.

"My new friend doesn't seem to like you very much" I said with a smirk through the medical bay intercom system "I think you should let me out"

"Go to hell!" She said with the same messianic gleam in her eyes.

"Been there, came back" I said calmly "Now it's your turn" and the mech crushed her windpipe.

I directed it towards the door release mechanism. The field was down.

I quickly stripped one of the guards and suited up in his standard heavy armour and collected all the thermal clips I could find. Not before time. I could hear the sound of boots running towards my position. They outnumbered me at least five-to-one but luckily the guard's reactions were sluggish and drunken and they took far too many risks, possibly a side effect of indoctrination. Keeping in cover, I easily took out the first wave with the precise fire of the Mattock. Kenson shouted orders over the station intercom for the rest of the guards to regroup in the Project Control Room. I scooped up as many thermals as I could carry. This was going to be a long fight.

I ran through the near empty living quarters of the base reaching Project Control in minutes. It was crawling with guards, at least thirty in good cover, preparing to make a last stand urged on over the intercom by a now hysterical Kenson. I emerged from the cover of the entrance taking one guard down with a perfect head shot but was met with a hail of fire and tech attacks that instantly shattering my shields. I pulled back into cover to give them time to recharge which allowed two guards to move up to the entrance and attack me at point blank range. Dropping my rifle, I counterattacked with a series of cybernetically enhanced combat moves, snapping their necks.

Picking up my rifle again I moved into the Project Control Room and finding cover behind a workstation and began picking off targets retreating behind cover before my shields completely shattered and re-emerging quickly enough to prevent any guards flanking me or moving up. It was a slow gruelling war of attrition requiring perfect timing and almost instantaneous reflexes. Not for the first time I was forced to silently thank the Illusive Man for the 'upgrades' Project Lazarus brought me back with. Wave after wave of guards attacked only to be killed or forced back although I also was steadily taking hits and rapidly running out of medigel.

Killing the last guard, I staggered out from behind cover exhausted and bleeding towards the main computer workstation.

"Welcome to the Project. The Reapers will arrive in the Bahak system in 110 minutes 40 seconds and counting" the VI said with irritating politeness.

I gritted my teeth "I want to activate the Project" I said.

"Certainly, be advised however that activating The Project will result in over 300,000 causalities. Do you wish to proceed?" the VI replied cheerfully.

I recoiled feeling sick. Three hundred thousand dead, almost all slaves, people I had worked to save even at the cost of my relationship with Tali. Images flashed through my mind the firebombing of Dresden, the atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, New York, and New Delhi and now Aratoht. I was about to go down as one of the greatest War Criminals in human history. A monster as Tali said. How could I ever look her in the eyes again?

As if reading my thoughts the VI spoke "Reaper arrival in the Bahak system in 100 minutes" it said calmly.

I sighed feeling something die inside of me. I had no choice. I had somehow somewhere stopped having choices since Eden Prime. I stepped forward, but having made my decision, I now found it almost impossible to articulate it. I felt only oily black tentacle's burrowing through my mind, whispering indecipherably. I swallowed hard.

"I… I want to activate the Project" I said thickly.

"Project Activated" the VI said pleasantly. It is recommended that the base be evacuated within the next 89 minutes.

I activated the communications panel on the workstation.

"Calling Aratoht, calling Aratoht,…" .

Silence apart from the sound of static. I repeated the my message

"H.. Hello. Who is this... are you the one who freed us?" said a woman's voice hesitantly"

"Yes" I said

"Oh thank you! I can't thank you enough for me and my daughter, the Batarian's were… sick… animals… the way they treated us…"

I cut her off "You need to get yourself and as many people as possible to shuttles right now" I said urgently "The Mass Relay will explode in" he checked the countdown clock "93 minutes. Anyone left in the system will be killed"

"What!" she cried desperately "please tell me you are joking, I don't even know were the shuttles are…"

"I'm sorry… there's nothing I can do" I said grimly

"No but there's something I can do" Kenson said breaking in "I can still cut power to the engines. Try to stop me!."

I growled "VI where is Dr Kenson?"

"Dr Kenson is heading for the Reactor Core Module"

I ran down the connecting corridors that connected the Project Control Room with the Reactor Core Module and entered with rifle raised ready to kill her if necessary.

Kenson was at Reactor workstation with her back to me when I entered.

"Step away from the reactor" I said

"You've ruined everything!" she sobbed banging her fists on the console "I cant hear the whispers any more"

I swallowed hard knowing exactly what she meant "Turn. Around. Now."

"You've taken it all away!" she screamed "I will never see the Reapers arrive!"

She turned round, with a manic gleam in her eye holding a detonator in her right hand.

"All you had to do was to sleep and none of this would have happened" she said darkly

"We can still get off this rock Kenson!"

"No Commander, we can't" she said with a smirk, pressing the detonator.

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_A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments_


	10. Chapter 10: Harbinger

**Chapter 10: Harbinger**

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_A woman with a young child in her arms, hair on fire, runs towards me screaming "You were supposed to save us!" I turn away in horror and saw a world burning, mountains of blackened corpses, the smell of roasted flesh, and the taste of ashes in my mouth. I hear far off maniacal laughter in my head. It gets louder and louder until I realize that it is coming from me. A voice deeper than the earth itself boomed THEY WILL CURSE YOUR NAME IN THE END. _

I felt the taste of blood in my mouth as I struggled awake. The Reactor Core Module was full of acrid smoke and I am covered in blood and body parts

"Warning Collision imminent" The Project VI stated blandly

I shook myself awake and staggered to my feet.

"Warning Collision imminent" it repeated

I tried to focus bleary-eyed on the workstation.

"VI how long before collision…?" I managed to croak.

"Collision in 28 minutes 14 seconds" it replied calmly.

I activated the communications panel

"Joker I need a pick-up now!" I barked

"Communications damaged" said the VI

"Damn it!"

_I have to get to a shuttle, it's my only chance _

"Where are the shuttles?" I asked

"The remaining shuttles are located in the docking area next to the communications tower" The VI said.

I ran as fast as I could through the maze of corridors connecting the Reactor Control Module with the airlock nearest the docking area. Reaching the airlock, I gave my suit a last quick check to make sure all the damage it had taken had been sealed and then entered the airlock and depressurised it. I stepped outside into the docking area and instantly ran into a hail of fire.

I had naively assumed that I had seen the last of Kenson's guards but now I found myself with a squad of at least eight in excellent defensive positions between me and the last shuttle. The Alpha Relay hung in the night's sky impossibly close, beautiful and mesmerising but I didn't have any time to enjoy the view as I came under deadly suppressant fire from multiple directions.

Just then there was the roar of engines and the last shuttle took off throwing the squad into despair. Apparently they hadn't expected to be left behind to sacrifice themselves. Taking advantage of their distraction I emerged from cover and gunned down three guards while flanking the remaining ones. Back under cover I snapped another thermal into my Mattock and began sniping at them. Precious minutes were lost as they didn't seem especially keen to come out of cover but eventually another six bodies lay crumpled and bleeding.

With no shuttle my only hope was to contact the _Normandy_. I reached the Communications Tower and activated the terminal.

"External Com Channel open" the VI said

I smiled to myself finally something going my way "Shepard to _Normandy_, Joker do you read me?" I said.

Suddenly the air shimmered with glowing light and again my head was filled with oily indecipherable whispers. In a moment the glowing light resolved itself into a menacing figure towering massively above me, the strange yet oddly familiar crustacean-like form of a Reaper. Its multiple arms unfolded and it glared at me with pure hatred. My head felt like it was being crushed, buried under the weight of tons of black lead and I fell to my knees groaning in agony.

"SHEPARD" Harbinger said infinite coldness "YOU HAVE BECOME AN ANNOYANCE. YOU FIGHT AGAINST INEVITABILITY, DUST STRUGGLING AGAINST COSMIC WINDS. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VICTORY TO YOU, A STAR SYSTEM SACRIFICED BUT EVEN NOW YOUR GREATEST CIVILISATIONS ARE DOOMED TO FALL. YOUR LEADERS WILL BEG TO SERVE US"

"Maybe you are right." I said quietly stumbling to my feet "Maybe we can't win this but we'll fight you regardless, just like we did Sovereign, just like I'm doing now however 'insignificant' we might be." I jabbed a fist towards the towering figure "We will fight, we will sacrifice and we will find a way. That's what humans do."

Harbinger paused for a moment as if considering my words "KNOW THIS AS YOU DIE IN VAIN. YOUR TIME WILL COME, YOUR SPECIES WILL FALL. PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE ARRIVAL" it said folding its arms back into its body and with one final glare, vanished.

As the image of the Reaper faded the glare of another towering image caught my attention. The Alpha Relay was now so close I felt I could almost reach out and touch it. I could now see it growing bigger every second, its massive, blue-glowing element zero core like a malevolent eye staring down at me

"Commander Shepard, _Normandy_ in-bound for pick-up" a familiar voice said.

"Roger that Joker" I sad urgently.

A slowly moving point of light against the infinite dark turned and began to grow rapidly resolving itself into the familiar graceful bird like shape of the _Normandy. _As my ship slowed and approached the docking bay, I ran as fast as my cybernetically enhanced legs could carry me, knowing we had only a matter of minutes before the asteroid hit. I reached the airlock almost as soon as the ship stopped moving and it swung open to let me in.

I ran to the cockpit, limbs protesting with exhaustion

"Get us out of here Joker!" I shouted.

"Hold on Commander" he said with a smirk "This is going to be quite a ride"

The ship roared at maximum thrust towards the great blue eye closely followed by the immensity of the asteroid. Great arcs of energy hundreds of miles long passed between the relay and it nemesis and instantly I was reminded about the story of David slaying the giant Goliath with a stone. With seconds to spare, Joker entered the relay and we were suddenly thousands of light years away and out of danger.

I silently thanked whatever gods that may exist and stumbled back into the CIC past my astonished crew, pausing for a moment to look at the galaxy map. As I watched I saw the spot that was the Bahak system grew brighter and expand before finally disappearing altogether.

_THEY WILL CURSE YOUR NAME IN THE END_

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_A/N One final chapter to go. Thanks for all comments and reviews_


	11. Chapter 11: This is the End

**Chapter 11: This is the End.**

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**'_This is the end_**

**_Beautiful friend_**

**_This is the end'_**

**_-The Doors_**

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I looked in the mirror in my cabin at the scars that Cerberus never got around to fixing when they brought me back from the dead. They had almost completely faded now but I remembered when I first woke up months ago and how they glowed in dim light. I was implanted with reverse engineered Reaper tech. For the first time since Freedoms Progress all the old doubts and uncertainties came back to haunt me. Was I really any different from Saren? I ran my fingers through my hair and rubbed the back of my neck. Was I am man or was I was really just a thing who thought it was Commander Shepard? Suddenly I remembered my vision of Tali pleading as I shot in the head at point blank range with a husks glowing hand and shuddered. The oily whispers had almost completely subsided in the few hours since we left the Barhak system on route to the Citadel for a debriefing with Admiral Hackett but they were still there at the back of my mind like an itch I couldn't scratch making me irritable and jumpy. Suddenly I recalled Liaras mother, Lady Benezia refusing medical aid because she would never the same again and describing being trapped in her own mind, watching in horror as she committed atrocities. _I will not allow that to happen to me _I thought grimly.

The door to my cabin opened and I turned to see Tali entering slowly, wringing her hands "Shepard we need to talk. You haven't tried to speak to me since you got back from that asteroid. I keep thinking that you are avoiding me."

It was true. I knew that seeing her face would just remind me of my visions. I knew that instead of the girl I loved I would see a smashed purple visor, a flash of grey skin and silver hair and a swiftly growing puddle of blood. Her soft silvery eyes filled me with horror and inescapable doom.

I swallowed "Sorry Tali" I said "the last mission… well it took it out of me... all those people". A half-truth but better than a full lie I thought.

"I'm… I'm sorry too" she said hesitantly looking down "You are the Captain, my captain and you have to make hard decisions all the time unlike the rest of us, unlike me. You did what you thought was right, made the best decision you could at the time as you have always done since I met you and I should have accepted it"

I looked down avoiding her silvery eyes peering through her purple visor. "Thanks Tali" I said "I try…"

She walked quickly up to me and put her arms around me and I tentatively did the same.

She looked up at me startled, eyes narrowing to sliver slits at my sudden reticence "Shepard what's wrong?" she said quietly.

"Nothing Tali" Now for a proper lie "I'm just tired, I could really get some rest right now"

She released me from her embrace "OK Shepard" she said uncertainly, her hands dancing around each other again "I have some things to finish up in Engineering anyway"

"OK Tali" I said with relief "See you later"

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"Commander, how you are feeling, you look like hell? " Hackett said

I had received a private message from the Admiral asking to rendezvous with me at the Citadel. On arriving I met him alone at the airlock and escorted him up to my cabin to talk privately

"I'm fine Sir" said looking away "I didn't expect you to visit me on the Normandy"

"You went out there as a favour to me so I decided to debrief you in person. Of course that's before the mass relay exploded and took out an entire batarian system."

"What have you heard?" I said

"All I know is that I sent you out on a personal mission and at the end an entire system is destroyed. I hope you can fill in the gaps for me."

I handed Hackett a datapad with my mission report on it.

"I confirmed Kenson's proof that the Reapers were coming and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. Kenson captured and sedated me for two days at Project Base. She said the Reapers were the galaxy's salvation and actually welcomed their arrival. She blew herself up in order to try to stop me. I started the engines with just over an hour left. I tried to contact the colony but time ran out."

"It sounds like Amanda was indoctrinated… that's a damn shame..." he sighed "Even though there were no survivors I appreciate that you at least tried." He paused "Do you truly believe the Reaper invasion was a threat?"

"Beyond any doubt, we had literally minutes to spare." I replied

"I'm sure all the details are in your report. The batarians will be out for blood, no doubt about that and that there is just enough evidence for a witch-hunt. They have been looking for an excuse to go to war ever since humanity showed up in the galaxy. We cant afford a war with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge,, the other races will be hesitant to give aid to either side."

"What are you saying?" I asked suspiciously

"I know what you did was for the best of reasons" he said "but that doesn't change the fact that three hundred thousand people are dead."

"I know" I said gritting my teeth "I see them in my sleep. Their deaths saved the countless billions that would have perished had the Reapers got into the galaxy and that given the chance I would have tried to save the colonists too"

"You are preaching to the choir" he said gruffly "If it were up to me I'll give you a damn medal but not everyone will see it that way. I won't lie to you Commander. You make a convenient scapegoat for us to avoid open war with the batarians. While the evidence against you is shoddy at best, you will have to go to Earth and face the music. "

I paused looking down at my hands for a moment "If that's what I have to do... " I said in a resigned voice "if its the only way to stop a war... I'll be your scapegoat"

He stood "I'm pleased that working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honour. Return to Earth in your full dress blues and be ready to take the hit for all of us. You can keep this" he said handing be back the datapad "I don't need to see it to know that you did the right thing

"Yes sir" I said standing up and saluting.

Hackett returned the salute "You're doing a hell of a thing Commander" as he left

* * *

A few days later we stood in the airlock of the Normandy aboard the Citadel, an awkward silence hanging in the air. The gathering had long since ended, people going their separate ways after saying goodbye. Only a skeleton crew remained behind to return to Earth with me. Good people that had volunteered to turn themselves over to the Alliance as well. When she finally spoke Talis voice was incredulous.

"After all we've been through? You're going to go back and let them use your as some kind of... of sacrifice? To appease the batarians of all people?"

"Tali, I killed thousands. Hundreds of thousands of people," I said quietly. "The Alliance will do everything it can to prevent war with the batarians. I won't make everyone aboard the Normandy a fugitive just to outrun my fate. Spectre status... Reapers... none of that will change what happened out there."

"It wasn't your fault! You can't... you can't just-"

I smiled sadly. "I did what I had to do, just like I always have. Just like I'm doing now... I can't tell you what will happen. I wish I could."

I reached out, trying to comfort her but she stiffened under my hands, pulling away. The veil that I had so often slipped my hands beneath in the last few weeks turned away, looking out at the traffic milling through the Citadel's docks for a long moment. Finally Tali spoke.

"You said you'd always come back to me..."

Before I could respond she was gone, striding out of the airlock and into the crowd, head held low and shoulders shaking. And all I could do was issue a silent curse at whatever gods or fates had pushed me down his current path. One day maybe she could forgive me if I ever had the fortune to see her face again.

* * *

**_A/K at which point we end Mass Effect 2, one of the best games ever. Now read Tairis Deamhan's take on Mass Effect 3 in his superb 'Razors Edge: Requiem' with Shepard incarcerated by the Alliance and all his former crew scattered throughout the galaxy. Glad to have actually finished a story. It's been fun!_**

**___Thanks for your reviews and comments_**


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